geopolitics
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China’s Quiet Digital Expansion Is Anything but Subtle
China is quietly reshaping the digital landscape. From entertainment and e-commerce platforms including TikTok and Lazada, to breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and technological manufacturing, Chinese firms are extending influence across Asia, Europe, and beyond. Although, Western nations have imposed export controls, restrictions, and regulatory barriers, China adapts and innovates within…
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Competition in the Ocean: China’s Vertical Expansion and India’s Horizontal Dominance
As China deepens its strategic footprint through vertical port development and energy corridors, India counters with a horizontally expansive maritime network rooted in historical connectivity. Both powers have increasingly prioritized the Indian Ocean as a geopolitical landscape, where ancient trade routes meet modern rivalries. In their ancient maritime treatises, “Bahr…
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Korea’s Rise and America’s Retreat in Southeast Asian Defense
As the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting convenes in South Korea amid heightened geopolitical tensions, Southeast Asia’s systematic shift toward Korean and European defense systems represents a critical challenge to American strategic influence in the region. While the US pursues renewed engagement through expanded defense agreements and strengthened alliances, Seoul’s emerging…
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The Promise and Power of BRICS+: A Conversation with Professor Brian Wong
Jonathan Chin, SSI Editor-in-Chief, speaks to Brian Wong, Assistant Professor in Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong. Brian’s research examines the ethics and dynamics of authoritarian regimes and their foreign policies, historical and colonial injustices, and the intersection of geopolitics, political and moral philosophy, and technology. As a geopolitical…
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Coercion by the Kilogram: Rare Earths and the Next Phase of US–China Competition
On April 4, 2025, China’s Ministry of Commerce imposed new licensing requirements on exports of seven rare earth elements (REEs) and their associated products, including permanent magnets. While not an outright ban, this move adds regulatory friction to the global supply of critical materials such as samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium,…
Sino-Southeast Initiative 